Railroad-brake



B. T. TRIMMER.

Car Brake.

Patented April 15, 1856.

Nv PETERS. vlmmnm nm. wwun lm u c UNITE Al BENJ. T. TRIMMER, OF PARMA,NEW YORK.

RAILROAD-BRAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 14,681, dated April 15, 1856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN T. TRIM- MER, of Parma, in the county ofMonroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Railroad-Car Brakes, of which the following is a fulland accurate description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is aplan. Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations.

The nature of this invention consists, first, in a certain arrangementwhereby each car acts to brake the one next to it, without the necessityof the cars approaching any nearer to each other, or moving through agreater space than is absolutely necessary to operate a single set ofbrakes. Secondly, in a mode of throwing the brake rods into and out ofgear, whereby they will either operate the brakes, or allow of backing,as may be necessary. Thirdly, in an arrangement of levers whereby aneflicient tension is exerted upon the brakes, through the influence ofthe side brake rods. Fourthly, in an arrangement whereby the forwardmotion of the engine serves to relax the brakes; and fifthly, in a meanswhereby the conductor or engineer can operate the brakes of one car, orany number less than the whole as well as the entire train, whichfeature is often necessary-as for example when a detached series of carsare descending an inclined plane.

I will now with the aid of the drawings, explain sem'cztz'm, my methodof obtaining these results.

R R are the brake-rods, which operate through the intervention of thelevers and brakes, to brake the wheels. As a continuation of thesebrake-rods (being jointed to the same levers at a, a,) are the rods R R,which of course partake of the movement of the brake-rods. Hence anypressure on the brake-rods R R will communicate to the secondary rods RR and elevate the tumblers T T, which will now afiord an abutment forthe brake-rod of the next car, which will of course act in turn in asimilar manner on the next in series.

If it be desired to back without braking, the engineer of course leavesthe tumblers on the tender down, which will leave all the brade-rodsfree, and no action will be effected on the brakes. The brake-rods acton the brakes, through the intervention of the main lever L acting onthe combination of levers L L L. The action of these levers will beunderstood much more easily and clearly from the drawings, than from anydescription. It will therefore be sufficient to state that any pressureon the end of the brake-rods will cause the levers L to move around itscenter, when each end will draw after it, the tension bar (1)) inconnection therewith, and through the levers L L L will press the brakesagainst the wheel.

The brake-rods and levers are kept in a tense state by the action of theracks (m,) as will be readily seen on inspecting the drawings. On theforward motion of the engine however, the chain C being extended willact on the lever 6, rock shaft 0?, and raise the rack out of gear by'thelifter The springs S will then operate to relax the brakes.

If the engineer or conductor should desire to brake one or more cars inthe rear, by operating on the tumbler of the desired car through theintervention of the pulleys P P and cord, and at the same time operatethe hand-wheel H so as to brake one car, all the succeeding cars will bebraked with a force equal to that acting on the first carwhich forcewill of course be multiplied just so many times as there are cars.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Thecombination of the secondary brakerods R, R, with the tumblers T, T,said tumblers being firmly attached to the truck and supported by it.

2. The combination of the handwheel and secondary brakerods saidcombination performing the double function of braking the wheels of thecar to which it is attached and raising the tumblers to operate theother brakes. I

3. The combination of the rock-shaft with the extensible and elasticchain whereby the forward motion of the engine relaxes the brakes,without danger of breaking said chain.

B. T. TRIMMER. [n s.] Witnesses:

JOHN PHIN, A. K. AMIDEN, H. W. DICKINSON, ALBERT M. SMITH.

